A fluid control apparatus for use in a semiconductor fabricating apparatus is constituted by fluid control devices such as mass-flow controllers and shut-off valves arranged in a plurality of rows and device communication means which communicate the flow channels of the fluid control devices in adjacent rows to each other at predetermined positions. In recent years, fluid control apparatuses of this type is configured to include a plurality of fluid control devices placed in an upper stage and block-shaped joint members placed in a lower stage for communicating the plurality of fluid control devices to one another to increase the degree of integration (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
FIG. 4 illustrates an integrated fluid control apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1. A single line (C) in the fluid control apparatus is constituted by a plurality of upper-stage members and a plurality of lower-stage members. The upper-stage members include a check valve (11), a pressure regulator (16), a pressure sensor (12), a counter-V-shaped channel block (20), a shutoff opening device (13), a mass-flow controller (14), a shut-off valve (15), a counter-V-shaped channel block (20) and a filter (17). The lower-stage members include an L-shaped channel block joint (32) which is communicated to the check valve (11) and is equipped with an inlet joint (31), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the check value (11) to the pressure regulator (16), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the pressure regulator (16) to the pressure sensor (12), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the pressure sensor (12) to the counter-V-shaped channel block (20), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the counter-V-shaped channel block (20) to the shutoff opening device (13), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the shutoff opening device (13) to the mass-flow controller (14), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the mass-flow controller (14) to the shut-off valve (15), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the shut-off valve (15) to the counter-V-shaped channel block (20), a V-shaped channel block joint (33) which communicates the counter-V-shaped channel block (20) to the filter (17), and an L-shaped channel block joint (32) which is communicated to the filter (17) and is equipped with an outlet joint (34), which are placed in the mentioned order from the left to the right. Further, the various types of joint members (31), (32), (33) and (34), which are the lower-stage members, are mounted on a secondary substrate (3) with a smaller width and a greater length, and the various types of fluid control devices (11), (16), (12), (20), (13), (14), (15), (20) and (17), which are the upper-stage members, are mounted thereon to straddle these lower-stage members (31), (32), (33) and (34) to constitute the single line (C) . A plurality of lines having configurations similar to that of the line (C) are arranged in parallel on a main substrate (2), and the respective lines (C) are communicated to one another at their shutoff opening devices (13) through channel communication means (50) constituted by three I-shaped channel block joints (51) and a tube (52) which communicates the I-shaped channel block joints (51) to one another to constitute an integrated fluid control apparatus.
Patent Document 2 suggests mounting a pressure regulator (16) and a pressure sensor (12) which are separated from each other on a single block-shaped main body to form a novel fluid control apparatus, although not illustrated.    Patent Document 1:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-254900    Patent Document 2:
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-118054